Fmcg brands often embrace the festive season with quirky limited-edition launches to boost sales, but Doritos’ new Gingerbread flavour sparked consternation among shoppers when it was unveiled last week.

An Instagram post by @newfoodspotteruk featured the seasonal product, prompting a flurry of mixed reactions. “Gingerbread Doritos sounds illegal,” quipped one commenter – which, arguably, is part of the appeal. Others were less impressed, asking “What in the name of all that is holy is that abomination?” or admitting the concept made them “want to heave”.

But whether the snacks sound delicious or dreadful is besides the point. Their development feeds into a savvy marketing strategy which helped the £287.2m brand shift an extra 3.2 million packs through the tills last year [NIQ 52 w/e 31 December 2024].

Flamin’ WTF flavour

Over recent months, PepsiCo has been ramping up efforts to spark shopper interest in its snack range, using a mix of bold innovation and eye-catching advertising. Take, for example, the launch of its Extra Flamin’ Hot brand platform in March 2024, which included an ultra-spicy Doritos variant.

PepsiCo backed the launch with a “multimillion-pound” campaign that saw convenience stores across the UK decked out in a striking purple branding. Some stores even installed fire extinguishers and smoke machines to play up the crisps’ fiery credentials –  with an Extra Flamin’ Hot-branded fire engine even enlisted to pull up outside Triple ‘A’ Foodhall in Nuneaton.

More recently, PepsiCo teamed up with Doughlicious, UpCircle and Ginsters to launch three “unexpected” products under the Extra Flamin’ Hot brand platform. According to Doughlicious global marketing director Sam Hinchcliffe, the brands were asked to “come up with a ‘WTF’ kind of flavour”. Challenge accepted: the ice cream brand launched its limited-edition Extra Flamin’ Hot Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites, alongside Ginsters’ spicy sausage roll and UpCircle’s “lip-tingling” lip balm.

Shoppers were also invited to put their spice tolerance to the test. The partnership with Netflix’s hit show Squid Game saw some extra-spicy crisps being added to limited-edition ‘Flamin’ Hot or Not?’ sharing packs, available in Doritos Chilli Heatwave 163g and Walkers Max Sticky BBQ 130g, challenging shoppers to take on a “bold game”.

The Russian roulette of crisps would help retailers “drive impulse sales and engage a new generation of consumers eager to explore new and spicy flavours from their favourite brands”, said Rob Pothier, PepsiCo head of marketing for portfolio campaigns, at the time.

Branded boost

This wasn’t the first time Doritos had partnered with a franchise popular with younger shoppers in the hope of driving sales. In January of this year, it piqued shoppers’ interest by teasing the launch of a square-shaped tortilla chip on social media. Just a few weeks later, it revealed the innovation had been developed to coincide with the release of A Minecraft Movie.

Inspired by the film’s cube-like universe, a limited number of square-shaped chips had been hidden inside 100 Chilli Heatwave 180g promotional packs, rolling out from 28 February to 10 March. Shoppers lucky enough to find one of the rare chips could claim a cash prize of up to £10k. Coinciding with the promotion, Doritos added two permanent variants: Zingy Vinegar Blast and BBQ Sweet Tang, which were initially wrapped in Minecraft-themed packaging.

Crucially, all of these innovations have been HFSS compliant. Doritos rolled out a new recipe across its entire range in October last year (its Extra Flamin’ Hot crisps were already non-HFSS), allowing it to promote the snacks on gondola ends in-store and in online ads. The reformulation also improved the crunch.

Doritos’ marketing and innovation strategies over the past two years have shown its confidence in the sector. From spicy lip balm to gingerbread-flavoured tortilla chips, it’s not afraid to take risks. In fact, its activity impressed judges at The Grocer Gold Awards 2025 so much that it scooped Food Brand of The Year in July’s ceremony.

And while Gingerbread Doritos are unlikely to be a crowd pleaser, PepsiCo knows curious Gen Z shoppers will flock to the crisps aisles in their droves to try them. If sales perform as expected, who knows? Maybe we’ll see Christmas pudding crisps on shelves in 2026.

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